This aerial image shows damage caused by flooding following Hurricane Helene in Ashville, N.C., in late September. (Photo by NCDOTcommunications / CC BY 2.0)

Several efforts are underway in the Chippewa Valley to raise funds for those impacted by recent hurricanes in the southern United States.

On Sunday, Oct. 20, The Brewing Projekt (1807 N. Oxford Ave., Eau Claire) is hosting “Valley to Valley,” which is billed as a barbecue fundraiser for victims of flooding in the Swannanoa Valley area of western North Carolina. Rain brought by Hurricane Helene in late September caused what meteorologists have described as a 1,000-year flood to the region. The Valley to Valley event will be noon to 7pm, and will feature food catered by Karl’s Bar-B-Q Express. A $10 ticket will give you a pulled pork sandwich, sauce, a side of coleslaw, and a choice of baked beans or chips. Tickets are available at VolumeOneTickets.org, which will donate $1 for each online ticket sold. (Ticket buyers had also make an additional donation at checkout.)

Meanwhile, the Spirit Lutheran Foundation (which is affiliated with Spirit Lutheran Church in Eau Claire) has created a Hurricane Relief Fund to assist those impacted by both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. In a media release, the foundation said it will be soliciting donations from both church members and others in the community. All funds raised will be matched, dollar for dollar, by funds from the foundation up to a maximum of $50,000. Money raised will be passed on to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Lutheran Disaster Response. Donations may be submitted to the Spirit Lutheran Foundation, 1310 Main St., Eau Claire, WI 54701 with “Hurricane Relief Fund” in the memo line. The foundation hopes to close the campaign by mid-November.

Numerous volunteers from western Wisconsin have also responded to provide disaster relief. As of late last week, roughly 100 volunteers from the Northwest Wisconsin Chapter of the American Red Cross were either already deployed or en route to hurricane-stricken areas. Xcel Energy has more than 100 employees – including crews from Wisconsin – at work responding to Hurricane Milton-related power outages, while earlier this month three crews from Eau Claire Energy Cooperative from among 15 from Wisconsin energy co-ops to travel to South Carolina to address damage from Hurricane Helene.

Do you know of another Chippewa Valley fundraising or volunteering effort connected with the recent hurricanes? Let us know at editorial@volumeone.org.